Turnabout Apartment
by Arglefumph
Summary: Shortly after Case 1-2, Maya gets into a legal dispute over who should inherit Mia's apartment. Naturally, she asks Phoenix for help.


**Author's Note: **This story came about as a result of two questions:

1. Where does Maya live during the first game?  
>2. What would happen if Larry Butz worked for Phoenix?<p>

* * *

><p>Things were busy at the Fey &amp; Co. Law Offices after Mia died. Phoenix Wright suddenly found himself forced to take care of <em>everything<em>, without any help from anybody else. Sure, Maya had promised to help him out with things, but he hadn't seen her since the trial a week ago, and he didn't have her contact information.

_She probably moved back to wherever she came from…_ Phoenix thought sadly. He was just starting to like the quirky spirit medium, too.

So to make things easier on himself, Phoenix decided to hire Larry Butz as the official office assistant for a week. Phoenix knew that hiring Larry probably wasn't the best idea ever, but Larry owed him big time after the murder trial. Besides, Larry couldn't screw things up _too_ badly, right?

Wrong.

Phoenix immediately regretted his hiring decision as soon as he came back from lunch on Larry's first day.

"Hey, Larry," Phoenix said. "What's up?"

"Yo, Nick! I got you a client!" Larry said, giving Phoenix a thumbs-up.

"You did?"

"Yeah! She's super cute! I think I'm in love!"

"You say that about every girl," Phoenix groaned. He had a bad feeling about this…

"This one's different, though," Larry said. "She's…exotic! Not like the models I usually go out with!"

_Exotic? Sounds __exactly__ like the models you usually go out with!_ Phoenix thought.

"Anyway, make sure to win her trial, okay? That'll put her in a good mood, so I can ask her out!"

"Wait, you said I'd take her case without consulting me first?"

"Well, yeah! I mean, she's innocent! A girl _that_ cute can't be guilty of anything...except maybe stealing my heart!"

Phoenix felt like banging his head against the wall after hearing Larry's cheesy pick-up line. "Please tell me you at least wrote down all the details of the case," Phoenix begged.

"Um…details?" Larry asked, scratching his head.

"Yes, details! Like I _told _you keep track of! Who is she? What is she on trial for?"

Larry looked down at the paper where he was supposed to keep a record of all the clients who visited the law offices. The paper was mostly covered in doodles.

"Gee, I forgot to write down all that boring stuff," Larry said. "But I _did_ get info on the trial. It's in Courtroom 10 at...1:30. Dude! That's half an hour from now! You'd better get over there!"

"LARRY!" Phoenix cried.

Larry was fired from the Fey & Co. Law Offices shortly afterwards.

* * *

><p>Phoenix headed over Courtroom 10 as quickly as he could. He would have to ask the Judge to delay the trial, that's all.<p>

"Nick! You made it!" a familiar voice cried.

"M-maya?" Phoenix asked.

Maya smiled and nodded her head enthusiastically. "Yeah! I was a little worried you wouldn't show, 'cause that guy at your office was weird, but he came through!"

"Wait, _you're_ my client?" Phoenix said, his smile dropping. Not _another_ trial defending Maya...

"It's nothing serious like last time!" Maya said. "I'm having trouble with the guy who owned my sis' apartment, that's all. He wants to evict me! You've got to stop him!"

"Evict you?" Phoenix asked.

"Well, whenever I came here to the city to visit my sis, I would stay at her apartment," Maya said. "So that's where I've been staying for the past week."

"Oh, so _that's_ where you've been," Phoenix said. "I thought you moved back home."

"They're going over the contract that Mia signed today," Maya continued. "I figured I needed my smart lawyer friend to help me!"

Phoenix was surprised at Maya's sudden compliment. "You think I'm smart?" he asked.

"You're the smartest, best lawyer I've ever met!" Maya said enthusiastically. "Besides, other lawyers cost money."

_Great, another freeloader..._ Phoenix thought. "Well, at least it's not a trial," he said.

"It's definitely not a trial," Maya agreed.

* * *

><p>"The trial of Herkmeyer VS Fey will come to order," the Judge said, pounding his gavel. "Is the prosecution ready?"<p>

"Ready, Your Honor!" Prosecutor Payne said, leering at Phoenix. "You may have gotten lucky last time, but now you're going to taste defeat! They don't call me 'The Rookie Killer' for nothing!"

"I thought you said this wasn't a trial!" Phoenix complained to Maya.

"It's not supposed to be!" Maya said. "I never broke any laws!"

"The defendant Maya Fey is accused of trespassing and, wait, Maya Fey?" the Judge asked. "You're here _again?_"

"Yes, sir," Maya said.

"She's a habitual offender!" Prosecutor Payne cackled, rubbing his hands together with delight.

_He's getting a little intense..._ Phoenix thought.

"Objection!" Phoenix cried. "My client was found innocent of all charges against her!"

"Of course, of course," the Judge said. "We can't bias the court by giving them a bad impression of the defendant. Prosecution, you may call your first witness."

"I call my client, Robert Herkmeyer, to the stand!" Prosecutor Payne cried.

The owner of Mia's apartment building came up and testified about his contract with Mia. He said that she paid a large sum to lease the apartment for a year.

"Just one year?" Phoenix asked.

"She was going to renew her lease at the end of the year, of course," Mr. Herkmeyer said. "But now she's dead, so the contract is null and void."

"Makes sense to me," the Judge said.

"Hmmm...me too," Phoenix said.

"Nick!" Maya said.

"I mean, OBJECTION!" Phoenix cried. "What about my client, Maya Fey? She lives in that apartment! You can't just boot her out!"

"Sure, I can!" Mr. Herkmeyer said. "The apartment isn't leased in her name, so she has no legal right to live there."

"Urgh!" Phoenix said.

"Hee hee hee," Prosecutor Payne taunted. "It's as simple as that, Your Honor. As soon as Mia Fey died, Maya Fey's right to live in the apartment was made null and void."

"But...but...what if she inherited it?" Phoenix asked.

"Huh?" Payne asked.

Phoenix slammed his hands on the table. "The defense claims that Maya Fey inherited the apartment from her sister, Mia Fey! Therefore, _she owns the apartment in question!_"

"Noooooo!" Payne cried.

"Why, that's correct!" the Judge said. "If Miss Fey has inherited all of Miss Fey's belongings, then Miss Fey has...uh..."

The Judge stopped talking and blinked several times.

"Your Honor?" Phoenix asked.

"There are too many Miss Feys in this trial. I cannot keep track of them all," the Judge said. "However, as a Judge and as someone who has written a will, I can testify that the defense is absolutely correct. The defendant has a legal right to her sister's apartment."

"All right!" Maya cheered.

"No!" Prosecutor Payne cried again.

"Therefore, I declare the defendant, not..."

"HOLD IT!" someone shouted.

Dramatic music played as the screen flashed on the Judge, Phoenix, Payne and Maya. Finally, the camera rested on the witness.

"Excuse me," Mr. Herkmeyer said. "But I think the defense is missing something important."

"What is that?" the Judge asked.

"Evidence," Mr. Herkmeyer said. "Does he have a copy of Mia Fey's will, which shows that her sister has inherited the apartment?"

"That's right!" Prosecutor Payne said. "Where's your evidence?"

"Uh...just a second," Phoenix said. He turned to face the spirit medium standing beside him.

"Did your sister even have a will?" Phoenix asked Maya.

"No," Maya said. "We don't have wills in Kurain. We just summon the dead person and ask them what we should do with their stuff."

_Sounds pretty crazy to me_, Phoenix thought.

"Do you have the will or not?" the Judge demanded.

"We...that is, the deceased did not leave a will," Phoenix said.

"You see?" Prosecutor Payne said. "You can't prove your ridiculous claims!"

The Judge pounded his gavel. "I am afraid I have to agree, Mr. Wright," he said. "If you cannot prove that your client deserves to inherit the apartment, then she has no right to live there."

"But...but...!" Phoenix said.

"Therefore, the defendant is guilty of trespassing," the Judge said. "That much is clear. I see no room for misinterpretation of the facts."

"Ha ha ha!" Mr. Herkmeyer laughed.

_Oh, man, what would the Chief do in a situation like this?_ Phoenix thought. _I know she'd want me to turn things around, but there's no way to do that! ...Is there?_

_Wait...maybe there is!_

Phoenix slammed his desk. "Hold it!" he said. "I've got a few more questions for the witness!"

"Haven't you gotten tired of asking pointless questions?" the witness asked.

"Not yet," Phoenix said. "Now, Miss Fey paid for her rent several months in advance, right?"

"That is correct," Mr. Herkmeyer said.

"What if things were the opposite, though?" Phoenix said. "What if she owed you $100 in rent when she died? What would happen then?"

"Then her family would be forced to pay the deficit," Mr. Herkmeyer said.

"Exactly," Phoenix said. "The debt transfers over to her family members when she dies."

"What does this have to do with the current case?" the Judge asked.

"It's simple, Your Honor," Phoenix said. "The family inherits all of Mia's debts when she dies. Now just turn things around. What happens if there _is_ no debt? What does the family inherit then?"

"The family...inherits the credit?" the Judge guessed.

"Exactly!" Phoenix said. "So because Mia paid her rent _ahead_ of time, the family should inherit the surplus!"

"That seems likely," the Judge said.

"It does not!" the witness said. "Mr. Wright, you clearly do not know anything about inheritance law! By default, I inherit the apartment, the money paid on the apartment, and everything in the apartment, because, oh yeah, _I own the apartment_."

"Uh..." Phoenix said.

"Once I liquidate Miss Fey's sizeable assets, _then _the family will receive some money as inheritance," Mr. Herkmeyer said. "Minus, of course, my equally sizable transaction fees."

"But...but..." Phoenix said.

Prosecutor Payne smirked. "Now we see that, all along, the defense has been grasping at straws. Faulty straws, with holes in them!"

"OBJECTION!" Phoenix said. "You're wrong, Payne! _All straws have holes in them!_"

"AUGH!" Winston Payne winced in pain, at having his argument defeated.

The Judge slammed his gavel down three times. "Order!" he said. "It is clear that the defense does not have any evidence to back up its claim. Therefore, it is only logical to return the apartment to the person who owns it."

Phoenix sighed. "I'm sorry, Maya," he said, turning to the girl at his side. "It looks like there's nothing I can do."

Maya had her eyes closed, and she was mumbling to herself.

"...Maya?" Phoenix asked.

Suddenly, Maya grew several inches taller, as her body took on a new form. Phoenix had only seen this once before, but he knew what had happened. It was the thing that Maya called "spirit channeling".

"Chief?" Phoenix asked.

"Sorry I'm late," Mia said. "It took a while. Maya's not a full-fledged medium, yet."

"Better late than never," Phoenix said.

Mia immediately took control of the case. "OBJECTION!" she shouted. "Mr. Herkmeyer, I don't recall making you the executor of my estate!"

Mr. Herkmeyer's face went pale. "You...you!"

"What is going on here?" the Judge asked.

"I may not have been rich, but I had several possessions," Mia said. "I want my sister to inherit all of them, including my apartment. You understand that?"

"You're dead!" Mr. Herkmeyer shouted. "How are you still here?"

"I'm hallucinating!" Prosecutor Payne said.

"I can write a will testifying to that, but I think swearing to it in front of a judge is good enough, don't you?" Mia asked.

"I have no idea what is going on," the Judge confessed. "Is Miss Fey dead or alive?"

"I'm dead, Your Honor," Mia said.

"I see," the Judge said, nodding. Then he shook his head. "No, I don't see! How can you be dead if you're still alive?"

"It's...complicated," Phoenix said. "But I think she's made her intentions quite clear, hasn't she?"

Mr. Herkmeyer's face turned grim. "Fine, fine!" he said. "I'll let the little brat stay in the apartment! Just...get rid of _her!_"

Mia grinned at Mr. Herkmeyer and made a creepy ghost noise. All color left his face, and he started sweating profusely.

"I withdraw my case!" Mr. Herkmeyer said. "I no longer wish to prosecute Miss Fey. _Any_ of them! Just...just leave me alone!"

Mr. Herkmeyer ran away, screaming. Everyone left in the courtroom was very confused.

"Is that it?" the Judge asked.

* * *

><p>Mr. Herkmeyer was so frightened by Mia's sudden return from the dead that he agreed to let Maya have the apartment for the rest of the year. Maya didn't have the money to renew the apartment for another year, so she ended up moving back to Kurain shortly after Christmas and the DL-6 case.<p>

Phoenix returned to the office in a good mood. Maya was found not guilty, and she promised she would come visit him the next day. Sure, Phoenix had to bribe Maya with free burgers in order to get her to come, but he was pretty sure that buying her food would just be a one-time thing.

When Phoenix entered the Wright & Co. Law Offices, he was greeted by Larry Butz. "Hey, Nick!"

"Larry?" Phoenix asked. "What are _you_ doing here? I fired you."

"Yeah, but you didn't pay me for all of my hard work," Larry said. "I won't leave until I get paid!"

"You only worked half a day, and you did barely any work at all," Phoenix said.

"No work? I got you a client, didn't I?" Larry asked.

"True..." Phoenix said, scratching his chin. "The trial with Maya went well, but no thanks to you. You didn't even write her name down!"

"Sure, I did!" Larry said proudly, holding up a piece of paper. "Her name is Samantha Ciani, and she is HOT! Best of all, she agreed to go out with me, if you'll defend her for free!"

"Larry!" Phoenix shouted. "I'm not taking on another client for free!"

"Hey, speaking of which, could I get a bonus?" Larry asked. "I need some extra money, so I can take Samantha out to a fancy restaurant."

Shortly after this, Larry was fired. Again.

**The End**


End file.
